COACH GLENNDA IS HERE

WELCOME

Hello and welcome! Buckle up, because I’m about to put on my coaching hat. Not the cute one for pictures, even though there’s a representation of that below. I’m talking about my real coaching cap where I look everyone in the eyes and say, “If you want different results, you’re going to have to do something different.” Because we’re talking about goal setting today, meaning real, measurable, deadline-attached goals that move your business forward whether the market’s hot, cold, or acting like it needs a hug and a nap.

Now before I head down to Destin to recharge these batteries and get my mind right for our In Charge event in Nashville, I’ve been doing some thinking. Rest is important. Reflection is important. But clarity? Clarity’s everything. The fastest way to get clarity in your business is to decide exactly what you’re aiming at. You can’t hit the target if you don’t first pick it.

So, we’re covering what it actually takes to set goals that work. I’m talking about the kind that build momentum, up confidence, and create a career you don’t need a vacation from… even though I fully intend to enjoy this one before we crank it up in Nashville!

STORYTIME WITH GLENNDA

#Goals

I think we could all use a pep talk right about now, so here goes. When the news starts making me feel like I’m a tiny boat adrift in an angry ocean, there’s one thing I can always do to get my sea legs back: I set goals for myself. 

Now, I’m not talking about those vague aspirations you jot in your calendar app on January 1st and forget by Valentine’s Day. When I say “goals,” I’m talking about the ones you want to achieve so bad that they keep you up at night.

Of course, it’s only natural when you have a goal like that, it should scare you a little. Because the thing is, if you don’t go after those goals, nobody else is coming to hand them to you, especially in the beginning. If you’re a baby agent right now, I’ll level with you: starting out is hard. Starting out in this market? Oh, my stars and stripes, it’s so much harder. Inventory’s tight, the rules keep changing, buyers have no sense of urgency, and sellers still think they should receive pandemic prices. I know firsthand how easy it would be to sit back and say, “You know what? Maybe I’ll wait and make my move when things settle down.”

Here’s what no one tells new agents the pre-licensing courses: things never settle down. We will perpetually be on the cusp of an election or a recession rumor. The market will always be mercurial. There will never not be new tech that experts declare, “This will change real estate as we know it!” If you’re waiting for perfect conditions, I promise you’ll be waiting forever.

That’s why I always say that the best time to start goal-setting was yesterday. The second-best time is today.

Let me be clear when I talk about goals. I don’t mean pie-in-the-sky, manifesting your way to winning the Nobel Prize for Real Estate, especially as that does not exist. (I’d sure like to be considered when it does, though.) While I admit no one loves a vision board and a glitter pen more than I do, just wishing is not working. What changed my life was deciding.

When my marriage was ending, I could have curled up in a ball and waited for the storm to pass. Instead, I said, “Fine. If everything’s burning down, I’ve got to figure out how to build something from the ashes.” I gave myself three months to get my broker’s license after the divorce was final. Three months. Not “someday.” Not “when I feel like a damn human again.” Three months. You know what that was? A solid, tangible goal that I could work toward every day.

I’d be fibbing if I said this was the most peaceful, distraction-free time of my life. Y’all… I was so scared and emotional and exhausted. But I channeled all those big feelings into my goal because it gave my pain an escape route. When I felt like spiraling, I studied. When I found myself obsessing, I made myself focus. There was an awful lot of positive self-talk back in those days, as I’d have to reassure myself that every chapter I completed was a brick in the foundation of my next chapter. That deadline forced me to move forward when all I wanted to do was wallow in a bathtub full of white wine. When I passed that test, it was so much more than just a license. It was proof that I could rebuild.

Let me be clear that I didn’t wake up that very next morning as “Glennda Baker, Real Estate Mogul.” But what I had were the tools that I would use to build. I opened my brokerage in a home office, and my first listing was a neighbor. I started off with very small wins, yet I treated those small wins like they were the necessary step to the bigger wins because they were.

There’s no magic bullet, save for that big dreams are built on boring discipline. Like Taylor Swift says, “We live in a world where everyone wants to know about the end result, but no one wants to hear about the ten years of hard work it took to get there.”

Everybody wants to be the top producer. Nobody wants to make the extra call at 7:30 p.m.

Everybody wants the commission check. Nobody wants to knock the last door when it’s humid and their hair has given up.

Goals aren’t magic. They’re math. If you want to sell one house per month, it’s key that you understand your numbers. How many appointments does it take you to secure a listing? How many listings convert to sales? If it takes ten appointments to get one listing and ten listings to close one deal, then five appointments a month ain’t gonna cut it. A light calendar = a light pipeline.

The math doesn’t lie. The math doesn’t give a single flying fig about your mood or your mental state of mind. If you’re not hitting your goal, it’s because the inputs aren’t high enough yet. Increase the activity, improve the skill, or both. 

The magic is that the math improves as you do. When you first start, maybe it’ll take ten appointments to land that listing. But after you’ve stumbled through enough presentations, you get better. You’ll have the lived experience of refining your scripts. You’ll have learned to anticipate objections before they come out of someone’s mouth. And guess what? Suddenly it takes eight appointments to land that listing. Then six. Then five. My friend, you are compounding confidence!

Now let’s talk about that thief of joy: comparison. That one will eat y’all alive if you let it. If you’re new and you’re looking at seasoned agents thinking, “I’ll never be that,” stop it. Every one of them had a first day and an awkward listing presentation. I guarantee they’ve had those first deals that nearly fell apart in escrow. You are not behind; you are beginning. If you’re dead set on comparison, compare yourself to who you were last quarter, not who someone else is this decade. Set goals that make you stretch but not snap. If you declare, “I’m going to sell ten houses this month” when you’ve never sold a single one, you’ve bypassed ambition and arrived at self-sabotage. Start with one. Hit it. Then raise the bar because momentum’s addictive.

Once you start making your numbers, don’t get comfortable. When I met my sales goals and became one of the top female brokers in Atlanta, I could have said, “Welp, that’s enough for me.” Instead, in 2020, I said, “What if I put some videos online?” That was another goal involving metrics and discipline. I started off with one video, then another. I put them out with consistency, and I held myself accountable and… y’all saw how that turned out. Goals are not a season so much as they are a lifestyle.

So, here’s what I want you to do:

• Decide what you actually want, not what sounds good on your LinkedIn profile. What would you love more of? Income? Freedom? Stability? Brand recognition?

• Make your goal specific. “More money” is not a goal because it’s too vague. It could mean $10 or $10,000. “An additional $150,000 in gross commission this year” is a goal.

• Reverse-engineer that goal. If your average commission is X, how many closings do you need? How many listings? How many appointments? How many conversations per day? Put the numbers on paper.

• Schedule the actions, not just the outcome. You cannot schedule a closing, but you can schedule ten calls. You can schedule two pop-bys. You can schedule one coffee meeting.

• Check yourself daily. Most people skip this part and that’s a mistake. You must be accountable to yourself. Did you hit your activity metric today? If not, why? Was it truly impossible, or did you doomscroll instead of dial? Be honest. Nobody grows from self-delusion.

• Share your goal. Tell your mama. Tell your best friend. Tell your broker. Accountability makes procrastination a lot less comfortable.

The life you want won’t fall into your lap. But it’s absolutely within reach if you’re willing to be consistent when nobody’s clapping. I still wake up some mornings and think, “Is this really my life?” The only reason I have the luxury of asking myself that question is because years ago, I stopped waiting and started setting goals with deadlines attached.

You do not need perfect timing. You need a decision. You do not need endless motivation. You need measurable action. Dream big, always, but also roll up your sleeves and do the math. Wishing might show you the pathway, but only disciplined goals will carry you down it. Now go out there and goal-get!

If this all sounds great, but you need a little jump-start, I’ve got your covered. Come join me at In Charge in Nashville, because I have a couple of seats left!

GLENNDA’S GURU

Welcome, Danielle Garofalo!

I am so excited to introduce my guru Danielle Garafolo today! Danielle’s the founder of TBD and the host of Solve Before You Sell, which is streaming on The Academy via Fireside. If you haven’t tuned in yet, OMS, you’re missing out on a masterclass in strategy! She talks about leverage and solving the problems before they become price reductions. She’s the kind of operator who understands that preparation is profit.

I’m just thrilled to feature leaders who actually move the needle in this industry, and Danielle’s one of them. She’s proof that when you take control of the process, you take control of the outcome, so please enjoy our chat!

Thanks, Danielle!

GLENNDA BOUGHT GRANDMA’S HOUSE

Heavy Sigh

Okay… there’s a reason I always build in an extra 20% when I set my budget to rehab a rental property. And there are plenty of times I don’t need that cushion.

This is not one of those times.

I am so sad to report that I can’t stain the concrete floors in the basement of Grandma’s House like I planned. There’s just too much damage. So, we’re having to put down LVP instead. (Am I the only one who can’t help of thinking about Lisa Vanderpump with those initials? I bet she’d be all, “Don’t you dare walk all over me, darling.” But I digress.)

In the scheme of things, the pivot is not a big deal, but it took my plan to pay about $2400 and, like magic, will now cost $8000. Plus trying to sand these floors kicked up an entire Dust Bowl of grit, so now we’ll have to deep-clean. Again.

I had the arborist out because I planned to take down three threes. Well… three trees has turned into thirteen and I swear I could hear a cash register chiming for every tree that arborist marked. And then one of the neighbors marched on over and told me, “You’re going to have to take down that tree out front because the roots are disrupting the waterflow on the public street. You’d better add that one to your list.” Y’all do not even want to imagine the going price for removing thirteen trees, but it rhymes with “plenty thousand.”

So now I’m still taking down thirteen trees and not fourteen. (I said what I said.)

Still even with setbacks, everything is progressing, Grandma’s House looks amazing, and we’ll have it ready soon for tenants who’ll love it!

GLENNDAISM

Today’s Words of Wisdom

GLENNDA BAKER & ASSOCIATES

When Perfection Matters

Oh my stars, not all homes in Lancaster are created equal, and this one proves it. Tucked on a private cul-de-sac in the coveted Estates section, just four miles from Lake Lanier, this immaculate original-owner home at 7119 Branch Creek Cove in Flowery Branch, GA, sits on arguably one of the best lots in the entire neighborhood. I’m talking woods, stream, space, and zero shortcuts.

The floor plan is the one everybody wants: true guest suite on the main, private office with French doors, and a kitchen that doesn’t just open… it flows. There’s a massive island, six-burner gas cooktop, custom everything, and wood floors throughout. Upstairs, the primary suite is a full-blown retreat, and the closet? Baby, it’s Khloé Kardashian level with built-ins for jewelry, shoes, belts, the works. Add in a pre-planned terrace level with epoxy floors, a second covered patio, smart home features, and meticulous care down to every manual and paint chip, and you’ve got something you simply cannot replicate at this price.

This isn’t just a house. It’s the backdrop for your whole next chapter.